Lord of Prayer

"Song Bensong, a council member of the Star Association’s Southern East Continent branch?" Zhou Chen was even more surprised.

’I don’t think I’ve ever offended this council member, have I?’

He hadn’t just not offended him; he’d never even heard the name before.

Huang Yunshan continued, "Actually, it was Feng City Mayor Shen Chong who instructed me to do this. But he’s one of Song Bensong’s own, personally groomed for his position. For years, pretty much any dirty work has been done on Song Bensong’s orders. That’s why I’m certain he’s the one who wants you dead."

"Why does Song Bensong want to kill me?"

"I’m not sure. Shen Chong told me you were an unstable element that needed to be eliminated. Maybe you’ve infringed upon their interests, or you found out something that could hurt them. I’ve helped them ’deal with’ a few nosy witnesses and reporters before..."

’I definitely don’t have any direct conflicts of interest with Shen Chong and Song Bensong. But as for things that could hurt them...’ Zhou Chen had a few suspicions, but he still lacked sufficient evidence.

After a moment of thought, he asked, "Where is Shen Chong?"

"He should be at City Hall at this hour."

「Feng City. City Hall.」

Shen Chong was in his office, meeting with a visitor who was asking for a favor.

"Well, Mayor Shen, I’ll have to trouble you with this matter then." The visitor was all smiles, having clearly had a good discussion with Shen Chong.

"If your building gets built, Feng City will have a landmark worth showing off. Once a large shopping mall moves in, the public will have a place for entertainment, and it will do a great job stimulating the local economy. This is a good thing, so of course, I have to give it the green light." Shen Chong smiled as he stamped the document.

The visitor took the document and let out a visible sigh of relief, clearly not expecting things to go so smoothly. He immediately offered to treat Shen Chong to dinner that evening to show his gratitude, and Shen Chong didn’t refuse. The man was a real estate developer from out of town; cooperating with him would be for the best, and at the very least, it was a chance to make a new friend and expand his network.

After the developer left, another man soon entered.

Shen Chong took a sip of tea and asked, "What can I help you with?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the man’s entire face began to change, a Transformation that ended with him taking on the likeness of Zhou Chen.

Shen Chong’s pupils constricted. He immediately went to press the alarm button, but there was no way Zhou Chen would give him the chance. Ethereal, transparent Spiritual Tentacles shot out, binding Shen Chong’s limbs and mouth tightly. As the mayor, Shen Chong was sure to have Spiritual Armor. Trying to use a wish for brainwashing would cost a huge amount of Wish Value. Zhou Chen’s current Wish Value reserves were no longer enough to support such reckless spending, so he could only wish to block the Sensing alarm devices in the area.

Zhou Chen sat down in a chair and said in a conversational tone, "On my way here, I took a moment to look into you. I discovered you’re actually a pretty good official. You’ve helped workers get their back pay, ensured debtors were repaid, and even proposed many positive policies that benefit the people...

That’s why I can’t figure it out. Why exactly do you want to kill me?"

"Was it because of the incident last night? But I checked, and everyone who died was completely unrelated to you. And I don’t think you’re noble enough to avenge strangers.

Or maybe it was when Jinzhu City was cracking down on crime, and it hit your business network, causing you significant losses?

Neither of those is it, right? How could something so trivial make you, the Mayor of Feng City, risk ruining your entire future to hire an assassin? Besides, you definitely know who I am. You know my strength, you know who’s backing me, you know the immense risk of trying to kill me, and you know that failure would mean complete and utter ruin. Yet you still sent someone.

So what on earth could make you so desperate?"

Zhou Chen looked intently at Shen Chong, whose expression was shifting rapidly, and said calmly, "It’s because I came into contact with the ’Ghost,’ isn’t it?"

Shen Chong’s pupils shrank.

"You work for Song Bensong. And Song Bensong works for Dupe."

On his way over, Zhou Chen had asked Jiang Che to look into this Southern East Continent council member, Song Bensong. The results showed that the man was actually part of Dupe’s faction. With that, the situation instantly became clear.

The "Ghost" had once worked for Dupe. The Life Church’s attempts to investigate further had been secretly obstructed by Dupe’s forces. After yesterday’s incident, Zhou Chen had surely been exposed to Dupe’s faction. They certainly didn’t want anyone looking into the "Ghost," so their natural course of action would be to eliminate the investigator.

It was just that Dupe’s faction had underestimated his strength. The assassination failed, and now he had come knocking on their door instead.

Zhou Chen glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "If the silencing had succeeded, you would have gotten away scot-free. Unfortunately for you, you failed. So, in about two minutes, people from the Judgement Court will be here to take you away. And after that, it’ll be Song Bensong’s turn."

Shen Chong was just an ordinary person, bound tightly by the Spiritual Tentacles and unable to move. Hearing Zhou Chen’s words, his face instantly drained of all color. Then, a flash of grim determination appeared in his eyes.

"Thinking of committing suicide by poison? Sorry."

Zhou Chen had seen right through his intentions. With a mocking smile, he opened his hand. Resting quietly in his palm was a tiny, concentrated poison packet. It was a potent toxin that had been installed in the back of Shen Chong’s molar, just a few milliliters of which could cause instant death. He had used a wish to retrieve it from a distance.

Shen Chong’s face immediately turned ashen.

「Two minutes later.」

Judgement Court Operators arrived at the office and escorted Shen Chong away on charges of hiring an assassin and endangering public safety.

Once everything was taken care of, Zhou Chen found a deserted place and called Jiang Che.

"Shen Chong has been arrested. Song Bensong should be next. But I think Song Bensong will commit suicide to avoid implicating Dupe."

"You don’t have to think it, it was a hundred percent going to happen. That’s why I anonymously provided the Judgement Court with proof of Song Bensong’s crimes beforehand. Three minutes ago, they caught Song Bensong just as he was about to take poison. He’s already been taken to the Judgement Court," said Jiang Che.